🏮 Shimenawa Kake Shinji
注連縄掛神事
Higashiosaka, Osaka (Hiraoka Shrine) · Every year on 25 December
102 days to go
Rooms around Higashiosaka, Osaka fill up while the festival is on.
The Shimenawa Kake Shinji, held every year on December 23 at Hiraoka Shrine in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture, is commonly known as the Owarai Shinji (Laughter Ritual), a year-end fixture. It is known for its unusual content: during the ritual, all participants laugh continuously for about 20 minutes, and comedy contests and other performances are also held in the shrine grounds. The origin of this ritual lies in the Japanese myth of the Heavenly Rock Cave. It reenacts the story in which the chief deity Ame no Koyane no Mikoto performed a ritual to lure out Amaterasu Omikami, who had hidden in a cave, and the cave was opened by the laughter and dancing of the myriad gods. On the day, at the call of the chief priest's "Ahhahha," worshippers laugh loudly three times, and then everyone laughs continuously for 20 minutes. Also, from 17:00, the Amaterasu Rock Cave Opening Ritual is held, accompanied by norito (Shinto prayers), dance, and the sound of drums. Participation requires a first fruits fee of 1,000 yen for a Warai-fuku Mamori (laughter-luck amulet) to invite good fortune.
Getting there
Immediately on foot from Hiraoka Station on the Kintetsu Nara Line. There is no parking lot, so use public transportation.
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